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Delaware Docket Newsletter
Winter 2009/2010


We are pleased to present the Winter 2009/2010 issue of the Delaware Docket, the Newsletter of the Delaware Judiciary, which is published semi-annually to provide updates on activities and events in the Judicial community. All are welcome to suggest topics, contribute articles for future editions, and provide suggestions on the newsletter. Please use the links below to navigate the current issue or view the printable pdf version .

Patricia Griffin, State Court Administrator and Managing Editor
Christine H. Sudell, Deputy State Court Administrator and Articles Editor
Connie Magee, Executive Assistant and Layout Editor

FEATURED STORIES

Delaware Courts: Fairness for All Task Force Issues Report
The report describes the challenges facing self-represented litigants, the court system, and others, and makes recommendations for addressing these challenges, as well as furthering procedural fairness, and the public’s perception of such fairness, in the courts.

Judicial Branch Employee of the Year
Chief Justice Myron T. Steele has announced that Karen Bounds, a case manager for the Office
of the Public Guardian, was named the Judicial Branch Employee of the Year for 2009.

Supreme Court Criminal Justice/Mental Health Task Force Completing Strategic Plan
For more than a year, the Delaware Supreme Court Task Force on Criminal Justice and Mental Health has been gathering information on issues faced by people with mental illnesses and exploring ways to both help individuals with mental illnesses avoid contact with the criminal justice system and to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses already engaged with the system.

Superior Court Launches Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
Homeowners facing foreclosure now have the opportunity to try to avoid this outcome through
a court mediation process with their lender thanks to a joint State and Superior Court program
in cooperation with Community Legal Aid, lenders, bankers, advocates, housing counselors,
and others.

COTS Civil System Goes Statewide in Superior Court
The COTS civil system was implemented statewide in Superior Court on October 5, 2009 when
New Castle and Kent Counties went live, joining Sussex County Superior Court which went live in 2008.

Justice of the Peace Court Opens New Consolidated Court Facility
A recently opened consolidated Justice of the Peace Court facility will provide better facilities
and more efficient service for court users.

Superior Court Implements Online Database of Trade, Business and Fictitious Names
Registering a trade, business or fictitious name has recently become easier thanks to a new
online tool implemented recently by the Superior Court.

Middle School Students Learn About the Justice System
Middle school students from several New Castle County schools are having an opportunity to spend a morning in the New Castle County Courthouse to learn more about how the court system works and to speak informally with prosecutors and public defenders.

Kris Kringle Goes to Trial
Kris Kringle again experienced his “day in court” in Delaware in December 2009.

New Teen Conflict Resolution Program
Starting in September 2009, ten students under the age of fourteen have been participating in an innovative alternative dispute resolution program, known as the Resolve and Dissolve Conflict Resolution Program, thanks to the efforts of Commissioner Bernard Pepukayi of the Family Court, who came up with the idea and got it off the ground.

Russian Justices of the Peace Learn About Delaware's Court System
During this past December, the Delaware Justice of the Peace Court hosted five Russian Justices of the Peace who visited Delaware to learn more about Delaware’s court system.

Delaware Judiciary Recognized

Filing and Payment Center Revamps Operations
Lines have been reduced in the Filing and Payment Center, located on the first floor of the New Castle County Courthouse, due to a new cross-training program which began last summer.

Filing and Payment Center Volunteer Alexandra M. Joyce
The Filing and Payment Center was assisted last summer by a high school age volunteer, Alexandra M. Joyce, who prepared records of the Office of State Court Collections Enforcement for archiving.